Nocturnalia

I'm making up a new word--Nocturnalia--people who can't sleep at night, even though they want to. That's me. It's getting serious. I didn't fall asleep until 6 a.m. this morning. I slept until 1 p.m. Like a zombie. I dreamt about my postdoc. I guess, in my mind, I've already graduated. I even set up a start-date with my new P.I. January 23rd. That way, I get enough free time, without too much free time.
Last night, after a hectic day at lab (my 2nd, 1st-author paper has just been accepted! Yipee!), I walked home, exhausted, the long night before starting to catch up with me. Feeling the effects of sleep deprivation, I knew I needed to just get in the car and run my errands or I would fall asleep on the couch and take a nap. I jumped in the car and drove to the grocery store--Trader Joe's for me, and then Dierberg's for fresh greens for the bunnies (they are very spoiled). I got some very nice frames for a photo I'm giving to my P.I. as a gift. Then, I went to PetsMart, got the last batch of bunny litter that I will ever need in St. Louis, purchased the biggest 2-door dog crate that would fit in the back-seat of my little Corolla (36" x 24") for the bunnies on the drive to San Diego, and found some awesome chewable toys for the buns in the bird section (they have been fighting over them since I gave them to them). The bunnies get gifts too!
After running around, I was exhausted. I got ready for bed and fell asleep around 10 p.m. Then, I woke up at midnight and couldn't fall back asleep! Apparently, my body thought it was a nap! Unfortunately, I was too tired to exercise at that point, which is probably what I should have done. Instead, I practiced my presentation, which wound me up even more. Then, I wrapped presents with awesome, home-made wrapping paper (from artsy magazine pages), and sketched and finished all my drawings for the calendar I'm putting together for holiday gifts.
At 5, I went back to bed, very exhausted at this point. I still couldn't fall asleep, even though I was physically very tired. Finally, I drifted off into a coma at 6 and was dead to the world until after 1. Jason needs to come back from Wisconsin so I can get some sleep!